Chan Kowk Wai - Kung Fu Styles

Kung Fu Styles

Chan teaches a broad curriculum of old-school kung fu styles. Most of them are external styles (外家, Wàijiā):

• Northern Shaolin Boxing School (Chinese: 北少林拳門; Pinyin: Běi Shàolín Quánmén; Yale: Bak Siu-làhm Kyun-mun), the core martial arts system from the Buddhist Shaolin Monastery of Henan, in Northern China.

• Deep Legs (Chinese: 潭腿 or 彈腿; Pinyin: Tán Tuǐ; Yale: Taam-teui), originated from the Islamic Hui people; 12 Roads version (十二路).

• Fist of (Masters) Choi, Lei & Buddha (Chinese: 蔡李佛拳; Pinyin: Cài Lǐ Fó Quán; Yale: Choi-lei-fat-kyun), styles Exalted Victory (Chinese: 鴻勝; Pinyin: Hóngshèng; Yale: Hung-sing) and Northern Victory (Chinese: 北勝; Pinyin: Běishèng; Yale: Bak-sing).

• Seven Stars Praying Mantis Fist (Chinese: 七星螳螂拳; Pinyin: Qīxīng Tánglángquán; Yale: Chat-sing Tong-long-kyun), where Seven Stars refers to the northern asterism called the Big Dipper.

• Tumbling Eagle Claw (Chinese: 翻子鷹爪; Pinyin: Fānzi Yīngzhǎo; Yale: Faan-ji Ying-jaau).

• Fist of the Arhat (Chinese: 羅漢拳; Pinyin: Lúohànquan; Yale: Lo-hon-kyun), from the Buddhist concept of Arhat ("worthy of Nirvana" in Sanskrit).

• Fist of (Master) Cha (Chinese: 查拳; Pinyin: Zhāquán; Yale: Cha-kyun), originated from the Islamic Hui people.

The internal styles (内家, Nèijiā) taught by Chan are such:

• Yang Clan Fist of the Supreme Extremes (Chinese: 楊氏 太極拳; Pinyin: Yángshì Taìjíquán; Yale: Yeung-si Taai-gik-kyun), from the Taoist concept of the Taiji or Yin and Yang.

• Fist of the Eight Extremities (Chinese: 八極拳; Pinyin: Bājíquán; Yale: Baat-gik-kyun), from the Chinese concept of Baji, everything within the eight ends (directions or corners) of the world, the Infinity; originated from the Islamic Hui people.

• Palm of the Eight Trigrams (Chinese: 八卦掌; Pinyin: Bāguàzhǎng; Yale: Baat-gwa-jeung), from the Taoist concept of Bagua, the 8 combinations of three proportions of Yin and Yang.

• Fist of the Six Harmonies (Chinese: 六合拳; Pinyin: Liùhéquán; Yale: Luk-hap-kyun), from the Taoist concept of the Six Harmonies.

• Fist of Form and Intent (Chinese: 形意拳; Pinyin: Xíngyìquán; Yale: Ying-yi-kyun).

• Natural School (Chinese: 自然門; Pinyin: Zìránmén; Yale: Ji-yin-mun).